Without You
by Spicetwist
Summary: Luke tries to cope when Laura falls ill
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Laura Spencer awoke to the sound of her alarm clock buzzing.  As she leaned over to turn it off, a sharp pain shot through her head.  She quickly turned the alarm off and laid back down rubbing her temples.

"Oh great," she said to herself.  "A headache is just what I need today."

She lay in bed for a few more minutes before she dozed off again.  Luke came out of the shower and saw that Laura was still in bed.  He didn't want to wake her, but he knew she had a meeting in an hour.

"Laura?" he said shaking her gently.

She groaned and opened her eyes.  She tried to sit up, but the pain in her head stopped her.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes," she said smiling weakly.  "I just have a bad headache."

"Maybe you should cancel you meeting and stay home today," Luke said with concern.

"I can't.  This meeting is too important."

"Nothing is more important that your health."

"I'm fine Luke," she said trying to hide the pain as she sat up.  "It's just a headache."

"Ok, but I don't want you driving.  I'm taking you to work."

Laura could tell that she wasn't going to talk him out of it.  "Ok," she said.

"And I want you to promise to have someone bring you home right after the meeting."

"Luke…"

"Promise me or I'll call Elton and tell him to cancel your meeting," he said reaching for the phone.

"Ok, I promise."

Luke left the room to give her time to dress.  With great difficulty, Laura got out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

A half hour passed.  Downstairs, Luke wondered what was taking her so long.  "She's going to be late for that meeting that was so important," he said to himself.   He went to the bottom of the stairs and yelled for her.  "Laura?"  He got no answer.

Luke walked upstairs and into the bedroom.  She was not there.

He saw that the bathroom door was closed.  He knocked on it.  "Laura?"  There was still no answer.  He put his ear to the door to see if the shower or her hair dryer were running, but he didn't hear anything that would prevent her from hearing her calling.

Luke tried the door knob.  It was locked.  "Laura!   Laura are you in there?   Laura!" he said beating on the door with his fists.

She still didn't answer.  Luke was really worried now.  He kicked the door open with his foot, sending the splintered wood flying.

Laura was laying face down on the bathroom floor.  He ran to her side and tried to wake her.  He placed his hand on her head and could tell she was burning up with fever.

Luke scooped her up in his arms, carried her to his car and headed for General Hospital.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Luke's car skidded to a halt outside the hospital.  He picked Laura up and ran into the emergency room with her.  The first person her ran into was Bobbie.

"Luke?  Oh no!  What happened!" she said seeing Laura.

"I don't know.  She woke up with a bad headache.  I went downstairs for a few minutes and when I came back she was passed out on the bathroom floor."

"Bring her in here"

Luke followed Bobbie into an examining room and placed Laura on the gurney.

"You'll need to wait outside," Bobbie told him.

"I'm not leaving her!"

"Luke, the doctors can't examine her with you here.  I'll come get you as soon as we know something."

Luke nodded reluctantly and walked out to the waiting room.  He closed his eyes to keep the tears from forming in his eyes.

An hour passed before Bobbie came out and sat down next to him.

"How is she?" he asked.

Bobbie just looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"Barbara?  Barbara tell me.  How is Laura?"

"Luke," she said, her voice breaking.  "They did everything they could but…"

Luke stood up and pulled Bobbie out of the chair.

"No!  You're not going to tell me that Laura's dead, because she isn't.  Laura is not dead!"

"Luke, I'm sorry."

"No!" he yelled.  Everyone in the waiting room turned to look at him.  "I want to see her."

"Luke, I don't think…"

"Barbara, I want to see my wife.  I have to see my wife.  I need to say goodbye," he said as tears started to roll down his cheeks.

Bobbie nodded and took his hand.  She led him back to the examining room.  Laura still lay on the gurney, but there was a sheet pulled up over her head.

"I'll give you a minute," Bobbie said and walked out the door.

Luke pulled the sheet off Laura's face.  She looked so peaceful that if he didn't know better he would have thought that she was just sleeping.

"Why?" he asked.  "Why did you have to leave me?  How am I going to make it without you?  How am I going to raise Lesley Lu on my own?  This isn't fair.  It should have been me.  Lulu could get along with me, but not without you.  I don't know how to raise a little girl Laura."  He couldn't continue because his sobs were catching in his throat.

Bobbie came back in to get him.

"I'm all right," he said.  "I have to go home.  I have to tell Lesley and Lulu."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No.  This is something I have to do alone."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Luke walked into his house and saw Lesley and Lulu sitting on the sofa.  He smiled weakly at the sight of Lesley reading to his daughter.  Lesley looked up at the sound of the door closing.

"Hi Luke," she said with a smile.

"Lesley I have something I have to tell you."

She saw the serious look on his face.  She turned to Lulu and said, "Honey, why don't you go upstairs and play."

"No," Luke said.  "She needs to hear this too."

He sat on the sofa, put Lulu in his lap and took Lesley's hand.

"Sweetheart," he said looking at his daughter.  "Your mommy got really sick this morning and she had to… she had to go away."

Luke looked at Lesley and saw that she understood what he was saying.  He squeezed her hand tighter as he saw the tears forming in her eyes.

"Where did she go?" Lulu asked.  "Can we go visit her?"

"No Baby," Luke said.  "We can't visit her.  You mommy went to heaven."

"Like Lucky?"

"Yes, just like Lucky?"

"When is she coming back?" Lulu asked

"She's not coming back Baby."

"Lucky did." Lulu said with a confused look.

Luke didn't know what to say to her.

He looked at Lesley for help.  She wiped the tears from her eyes.  "Honey, Lucky was only… pretend dead."

"Like on TV?"

"Yes.  Lucky was pretend dead like on TV, but your mommy is really dead."

"Oh," Lulu said nodding her head.  "Can I go upstairs now?"

"Sure," Luke said.

After she left, Luke put his arms around Lesley.   They sat there holding each other and crying.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Three days had passed and Laura's funeral was going to be held this afternoon.  Luke felt numb inside now.  All of his and Laura's friends had been to the house to express their condolences.  Luke had not spoken to any of them.  He hoped they understood that he was hurting too much to be able to handle guests.

"Daddy?" Lulu said sticking her head into the bedroom.

"Come in Sweetheart," he said putting his arms out to hug her.

She came running in the room and gave him a big hug.

"Daddy, we are going to see Mommy for the last time today aren't we?"

"Yes, for the last time," he said trying to hide his tears from her.

"Then I want to look nice for Mommy.  Would you make my hair look pretty?" she asked handing him a ribbon and a hairbrush.

Luke looked at the brush.  "I can't do this," he thought.  "How can I raise my little girl if I don't even know how to brush her hair."

"Come here, Honey.  I'll fix your hair for you," Lesley said from the doorway.

Lesley Lu grabbed her brush and ribbon and ran out the door.

"Thanks," Luke said.  Lesley nodded at him and followed Lulu down the hall.

A few hours later, they sat silently in the church.  Everyone had something to say about Laura.  Luke was touched at how many people loved her, at how many lives his wife had touched.

When the funeral was over Luke didn't move.  He sat alone in the church with his eyes closed.  He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Luke?" Bobbie said.

Luke opened his eyes and looked at her.  "Where am I?" he thought.  "This isn't the church."  He looked around the room and saw that he was still sitting in the hospital waiting room.  He must have dozed off.

"Luke?" Bobbie repeated.  "Laura's awake.  She's asking to see you."

"She's… she's alive?"

Bobbie gave him a confused look.  "Of course she's alive.  The doctor said it was just a virus.  They gave her a shot for her headache, so she's ready to go home soon.  She's going to need a lot of rest though."

Luke jumped out of the chair and gave Bobbie a hug.

"What was that for?" she asked.

"For being beautiful.  For being you," he said with a smile before he left to go see Laura.

Bobbie shook her head and laughed.  He brother could be so strange sometimes.

Luke walked in the examining room.  Laura was sitting in the chair.  She smiled at him.

"How do you feel Angel?" he asked with concern.

"Hungry," she said with a grin.

Luke knew that if she was hungry she was feeling much better.

"Do they know why you passed out?"

"You've seen me when I was sick before.  I always faint when my temperature goes over 102 degrees."

"Of course," he thought to himself.  "How could I have forgotten."

"Luke, take me home," she said holding her hand out to him.

He helped her up and put his arm around her to help her to the car.

"Thank you," he said.

"For what?"

"For not leaving me."

She gave him a confused look, then smiled at him.  "You're welcome, I think.  I love you Luke."

"I love you to Angel.  Let's go home," he said kissing the top of her head.


End file.
